There is, without question, an increasing desire for leaders throughout the world to encourage and support practices that enable individuals and teams to engage in decision making in a way that cultivate a sense of worth and dignity. In their ongoing series, “Our Principles in Action: Appreciative Inquiry for Justice & Belonging”, Faith Addicott and Staceye Randle elaborate on the Appeciative Inquiry principle of Free Choice and how it “…might be the most powerful tool we have”, especially as it is essential to expressing who we are.
Faith Addicott, MPA, MPOD is working to improve the intersection of work and life through innovative and human-centered process design. Her consulting work has centered on nonprofits and local government using Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths-based processes. She is a champion for inclusive workplace design.
Staceye Randle | USA
Staceye Randle, MPOD is a human resources professional passionate about creating workplaces focused on helping people grow and learn. She is also an advocate for ensuring equity and justice in every aspect of her private and professional life.
Psychologist Rollo May says, “a man or a woman becomes fully human only by his or her choices and his or her commitment to them. People attain worth and dignity by the multitude of decisions they make from day to day.” Our ability to choose is one of the things that makes us human, and opening freedom of choice to all people is inherent to inclusion and to democracy itself. The Appreciative Inquiry principle of Free Choice isn’t just about the fact that “people and organizations thrive when people are free to choose the nature and extent of their contribution”. Free choice “is an essential aspect of being human”.
Yet the experience of people who have been systematically marginalized and silenced, where oppression occurs daily as multitudes are excluded from decision making and representation in rooms where choices are made, belies the ethos of inclusion. Entrenched racism says “those aren’t really people” in its work to discredit and harm. This can be traced back to the history of people in the United States since its inception – indigenous people were brutalized as non-human and Black Americans were not human beings, but capital. Free Choice asks us to not only allow people to be a part of decisions that determine the course of change, but to acknowledge that failing to do so dehumanizes people and the organization (or world!) as a whole.
You may have heard the phrase, “nothing about us without us”. It is used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected by that policy. It’s simple, catchy – and true. Imagine the power of having a system where people truly have free choice and the chance to be heard. Not just some people in the system, but all people in the system. What could that look like and how would that actually feel?
In our organizations, one of the most powerful and effective ways of centering diversity, equity and inclusion in our work is through building in choice. We can let go of the idea that all institutional knowledge rests on leaders’ shoulders, and instead consider diverse employees as co-creators in their own organizational experience. Perspectives from diverse cultural and experiential backgrounds enrich and improve our work when we allow for this co-creation, choosing inclusion over expertise.
Participation and the freedom to choose is essential to having people feel a sense of power. As we seek to weed out racism and exclusion in our world, leaning into the principle of Free Choice might be the most powerful tool we have. Free Choice asks long overdue questions about how we treat people – do we treat everyone as fully human, as inherently deserving of choice? If we start all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts with a commitment to the human voice and choice of all people, we alter the fundamental lens of our work.We honor our shared humanity and unleash the power of shared dignity.
Intro by Keith Storace is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
One of the key global topics at this time in human history is about the Covid-19 pandemic that for almost two years has held our attention and challenged us to think differently. It has shifted the narrative from being predominantly focussed on the future to the here-and-now experience of how we are coping as a global community. Melisa Yildiz explains how Appreciative Inquiry can be applied for organisational changes as we figure our way through the pandemic. I am delighted to introduce our voices from the field for this issue of AI Practitioner.
Melisa Yildiz is a researcher in the Netherlands (Maastricht University) and in Belgium (Hasselt University) working in the domain of Service Innovation & Management, with an engineering background. She is an experienced soft skills trainer, having delivered hundreds of hours of training sessions in the areas of leadership, emotional intelligence, and organizational skills and personal development.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had the world under its influence since early 2020 and forced many organizations to go through transformational changes and adapt to the circumstances that have emerged because of it. It is well established that Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a successful approach and change management modality for organizational development (OD). With its set of principles and implementation practices, it involves all the stakeholders of an organization, enabling them to self-determine their change and navigate through the change process. However, the literature in this field lacks information explaining whether/how it holds up when applied during a crisis. There is a gap to be filled with the discovery of the answers to the question “How can AI help organizations go through transformational changes during the Covid-19 pandemic?” To approach this gap, this study has examined:
“Which features of AI can be particularly useful in a time of a crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic?”
“How can AI implementation processes (e.g., 4D cycle) be modified to meet the current situation of the world during a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic?”
“Are there any organizational factors that can facilitate the implementation of AI during crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic?”
The conclusions were drawn by following a qualitative research methodology and interviewing eight well-respected scholars and practitioners in this field whose work has contributed to organizations and to literature about AI over decades. This was a diverse group with members from four different countries: Canada, United States, South Africa and Belgium, with differences in expertise that brought richness to the findings. No controversial data was arose from the study; all were unanimous in relation to the benefits of using AI for organizational change in times of crisis.
The findings show that when it comes to which features of AI can be of assistance in times like this, the name of the practice speaks for itself: “Appreciation” means to acknowledge the reality and complexity of the world’s situation and in doing so, contrary to what has been assumed in some literature, not labeling experiences as “good” or “bad” by focusing on one side or another. When it comes to “Inquiry”, it is about asking generative questions which invite people to reflect on their experiences. During the current crisis, the questions took a shift because the context required that in order to stay relevant.
To help organizations navigate through the uncertainty of a crisis, AI uses change questions that focus on the smallest incremental changes that are in the circle of influence with the current circumstances. Examples can be “what can we do better this week?” or “what have we achieved since yesterday?” In crises, a big challenge for all organizations is to navigate through the world’s uncertainty.
AI enables that by perceiving crises as an opportunity for development in crisis contexts as much as in more predictable times. So, AI invites us to have a growth and curiosity mindset to perceive successes and failures as learning experiences. Having such a mindset amid uncertainty allows focus on incremental changes that can both influence and control at the same time. Influence and control are empowered by one of the most prominent and distinctive features of AI: strengths-based and generative probing to channel what is powerful within the organization’s context.
Another aspect that the findings shed light on is the more practical side, the implementation process of AI (e.g., 4D cycle). The findings show that the processes of AI don’t need to change, and the models essentially hold. However, regardless of whether it is applied during a crisis or not, the process is always modified based on the context and the needs of the group. Therefore, the goal of all the steps is to include every voice in the system. This makes the entire process meaningful for everyone as the organization becomes infused with innovation that results from the collaboration.
To do that, AI uses interviews and storytelling methods where each participant is asked to share their perspective and bring personal agency. Through these exercises, the organization can undertake a self-discovery of its values and understand the ways in which it can use them to navigate through the crisis. So, it is necessary to make sure that the group spends enough time on this. Therefore, another crucial element is the role of the facilitator, which is to fully acknowledge the impact of the crisis on the group. A pitfall is that some facilitators see the steps of process as linear checkboxes and follow them strictly regardless of the group’s needs. However, especially in crises, the facilitator should be flexible with the process, be able to modify it based on the needs of the group and the context, and overall be ready to diverge with the group. Since the facilitator should try to establish the same quality of relatedness in crises times, the role becomes paramount.
Finally, the last set of findings in this study tackles the question “What if there are some organizational factors that can be used to facilitate the process?” First, the internal mindset of an organization and the leadership’s approach play a crucial role in the effectiveness of the process. An organization first needs to be aware of the mindset it carries, and if it happens that this mindset doesn’t align with what they want to achieve, they need to have the agility to change it.
One other factor that is intrinsically linked with AI is effective communication. For example, the Social Constructionist principle and storytelling exercises in the implementation process help build organizational trust by using the basics of effective communication exercises naturally. Therefore, effective communication is both a part of the process and its outcome, since the process invites the organization to use these practices in the long run afterwards.
Another factor that was found to be correlated with AI is organizational trust. AI uses and engenders high levels of trust during crises by its inclusive nature, beyond hierarchical barriers, which creates a sense of shared meaning. With the support of leadership, as with the other factors, trust is also encouraged during and after the process. The last factor, which has one of the strongest links to AI, is organizational resilience. Everything aforementioned works toward developing resilience because AI leads organizations to perceive crisis as a learning experience and to enhance adaptability with its practices.
A metaphor can summarize the main takeaways: AI is like a piece of art: with a changing context (like the current pandemic crisis) the frame changes. But the artwork inside stays the same. This means that the AI principles, features and processes still hold when applied during a crisis. All that is needed to adapt is to look at all aspects from a context (the frame) to make the practice relevant. For that, the work of the facilitator (the artist) becomes paramount. The results build on existing evidence that AI helps navigate through change and crisis, like a compass pointing at the opportunity masked by the crisis. For all those reasons, AI is an excellent method to consult and even meant for times like this.
The contribution of this study is that it supports the necessary nuances of AI practices to be implemented in times of crisis, which offers highly relevant implications for practice from first-hand experience. There is a consensus that there will be a mix-up of virtual and in-person practices. A further study can examine the reasons for and in which practical ways online and in-person practices can be interlaced.
Intro by Keith Storace is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
One of the key global topics at this time in human history is about the Covid-19 pandemic that for almost two years has held our attention and challenged us to think differently. It has shifted the narrative from being predominantly focussed on the future to the here-and-now experience of how we are coping as a global community. Faith Addicott in collaboration with Staceye Randle continues the series titled: “Our Principles in Action: Appreciative Inquiry for Justice & Belonging” with an exploration of the Narrative principle. I am delighted to introduce our voices from the field for this issue of AI Practitioner.
Faith Addicott, MPA, MPOD is working to improve the intersection of work and life through innovative and human-centered process design. Her consulting work has centered on nonprofits and local government using Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths-based processes. She is a champion for inclusive workplace design.
Staceye Randle | USA
Staceye Randle, MPOD is a human resources professional passionate about creating workplaces focused on helping people grow and learn. She is also an advocate for ensuring equity and justice in every aspect of her private and professional life.
Head into any kindergarten class (pre-pandemic) and you would see otherwise notoriously active five-year olds sitting quietly around their teacher. They are quiet, still, concentrating on every word the teacher reads to them. Felicity’s grandmother could never be disturbed on weekdays between eleven in the morning and noon. No phone calls, no conversations. She was focused on her favorite soap opera, The Young and the Restless. No interruptions were allowed during this time.
What do these situations have in common? They show how a story can stop us in our tracks, disrupt habits, or transform our daily lives. Stories are impactful. Stories connect people. Stories can bring about change.
This is the essence of the Narrative principle. Like the principles already discussed (Anticipatory, Constructionist), the Narrative principle acknowledges that “The past, present and future are not separate stages, but rather beginnings, middles and endings of a story in progress. Organizations and human systems are stories-in-progress.” In the equity and justice space, the Narrative principle is a particularly powerful tool, ensuring that the organizational, human story is one that includes all voices.
We need this principle because the truth is that most of the time, marginalized people do not feel heard in the places where they live and work. Their stories are not the stories in the brochures, their experience unreflected in language or messaging. They are often discounted or minimized, pushed far from the center of the collective tale. Applying the Narrative principle gives marginalized people an opportunity to tell their stories.
This opens space for the lives of those historically silenced to occupy the center of the narrative; too often the conversation around equity and justice does not focus on those impacted most, instead centering the feelings/experiences of the majority. Through the wider lens that is created when more people have a place in our shared storytelling, we can move towards real change. Peter Forbes sums up stories very well, saying that “Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others.” When we can see the truth in those claims, we can give the voices of those who have suffered under inequity the power to make a different world.
There is a deeper truth in this principle as well. Stories require a teller – and someone to hear the tale. The most important part of communication isn’t talking. It’s listening. As practitioners, we must focus on listening, on allowing ourselves to be transformed by the stories we hear. Deep learning and opportunities to create change lie in this listening space. If we want to create a more equitable and just society, then the someone who hears must be us. All of us.
Intro by Keith Storace is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
In the August 2021 of AI Practitioner we have three enlightening articles for Voices from the Field, each one providing a unique window into Appreciative Inquiry. Faith Addicott presents the Constructionist principle as part of her ongoing series titled ‘Our Principles in Action: Appreciative Inquiry for Justice & Belonging’. We are then introduced to Vera A. Hofmann and her work, which considers the shifting narrative across business and society as it continues to move us toward a new paradigm. The third article, by Jan Driesen, examines four key factors that impact the successful application of AI throughout the organisational change process. It is my pleasure to present all three authors to our AI Practitioner readership.
Four Factors to Use Appreciative Inquiry During Organisational Change Processes Successfully
Jan Driesen works as Operations Manager for Knaek Promotions in Belgium where he is responsible for all commercial and promotional activities together with his team of Belgian city managers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Jan is an experienced trainer in hospitality, coaching, leadership and management
Have you ever wondered what makes an AI process successful? I did, which is why the main question of my master’s thesis for the Master of Management program at the Hasselt University in Belgium was: “How can Appreciative Inquiry be successfully used to facilitate organisational change from the perspective of the change facilitator”’. A literature study provided me with the proper insights and curiosity to pursue a more pragmatic approach. I held ten in-depth interviews with seasoned AI practitioners that provided me with an abundance of knowledge to construct the conclusion to be read in my paper. I found that the success of an AI process depends on four factors:
Your influence on the process as a facilitating AI practitioner.
The influence of the participating organisation on the process.
The connection, trust and involvement between all parties.
The architecture of the process.
In my interviews, I focused on the role and perspectives of the interviewees as an AI facilitator.
Personality layers of an AI Practitioner
As the facilitator always brings her/himself into the process, her/his influence comes in various shapes, referring to personal elements that reflect into the several phases and parts of an AI process. Inspired by Korthagen’s (2014) “onion model”, I grouped my research findings into several personality layers for a successful AI facilitator. Fundamental to the onion model is the notion that several layers play a role within a person’s being which influences their behaviour. By changing the original order of the layers, I was able to reflect more accurately the influence of these layers on the AI practitioner.
The layers of the model are:
Core qualities
Mission
Beliefs
Attitude
Role
Competencies and
Environment.
At your very centre, you find the (1) core qualities that reveal what you are made of. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and everyone has their qualities. However, successful AI practitioners tend to have a natural tendency to connect (with) people and sense what a process and its participants need at any given moment. These core qualities are the foundation for a strong (2) mission. As an AI practitioner, your mission, your reason to work from an AI stance is about moving forward together. It is about feeling energized and empowered, about seeing new opportunities, even if things don’t go well. It is about helping each other learn and develop, becoming stronger and better at what you do. The pivotal difference is in the way it happens. Whereas traditional goal-oriented approaches might end in similar results, Appreciative Inquiry does it in a way through which people grow closer to each other and their goals, a large part of sustaining the desired outcome. AI enables you to use your qualities as leverage for organisational change by giving you language and method. This is why you chose to work from Appreciative Inquiry, because it does make a difference.
It is said that you become what you believe. Successful AI practitioners believe that everyone has their individuality and should be true to their own (3) beliefs. However, as a successful AI practitioner, you have a strong belief in humankind, you are convinced that there is always something positive and that you should appreciate whatever comes up. The good, the bad, the uncertain – all of it. Even more important, the chances of an AI process wielding a successful outcome increases substantially when the process facilitator fundamentally agrees with and believes in the philosophy behind Appreciative Inquiry. As Cooperrider and Srivastva indicated many times in their first paper on AI (1987), the successful AI practitioner does not see AI as a tool or a method, but as a way of life. A successful AI practitioner embodies the AI philosophy to at least some extent, some more than others.
If your core qualities reveal what you are made of, your AI mission drives what you believe and your beliefs dictate how you behave, then how exactly should an AI practitioner behave? As a successful AI practitioner, your (4) attitude reflects that you are open-minded and without prejudice. You strive to live the AI philosophy by appreciating whatever comes up, you adopt a student mindset and are aware that you still have a lot to learn. You set the right example for others to follow by walking the talk. As the success of an AI process is not so much about what you do but how you do it, your attitude is not to be underestimated. Your attitude is what puts you in the right (5) role, the role of a guide who shows an alternative way to reach goals while increasing enthusiasm, trust, connection and organisational culture. You act as a coach who puts the power into the hands of the people and helps them create something of their own, giving them a feeling of ownership and accomplishment.
The last element within the control of the AI practitioner is the element of (6) competency, which is not that important to the process, contrary to what many believe. People are more than just their competencies, which can be learned by anyone and do not necessarily entail success. As a successful facilitator, you owe your success more to your mindset and attitude, explained above, than to your competence. However, it is advisable to understand the foundations of AI and know about the 4D, 5D or 5D+ cycle and the principles of AI, as this enables you to implement it more effectively and freely while becoming more aware of the process, which ultimately has a positive impact on the success of the process.
Lastly, the outer layer reflects on the (7) environment in which this reflection has taken place. In an AI personality framework, the environment consists of everything happening during the Appreciative Inquiry process.
Other success factors
In my research, I paid attention to three other factors for successful AI processes besides the personality layers of an AI practitioner:
The influence of the participating organisation.
The quality of the connection between the parties involved.
The overall architecture of the process.
Regardless of the impact you have on the process, regardless of the various aspects you have to consider, if the participating organisation does not allow it, the process never gets started. At the beginning of every process, it is crucial to get the leadership of the participating organisation on board with what is about to happen, as they set the culture that reigns within. The culture is what undergoes the true change, which makes preparing the leaders of that culture essential for the outcome. To facilitate true, lasting change, the organisation must want it: they must be open to participate, and willing to change. To a certain extent, they must be willing to adopt an AI attitude, especially during the process.
Secondly, for you and the participants to exercise your influence for the better of the process, a mutual connection is imperative. The interconnection between all the parties involved is the foundation upon which the process is built. This connection is constructed through genuine conversations about valuable stories and experiences. For these conversations to take place, the element of mutual trust is vital. The participants must feel like they can trust you and each other, just as you have to feel like you can trust the participants and, in some cases, your fellow facilitators. The element of trust goes even further, it is also about your confidence in your own being and abilities. Maybe even more important, it is about trusting the process. This interconnectedness and mutual trust result in involvement from all sides. Every person in the room feels part of the same reality that combines your individual perspectives and melts them to form a bigger picture of the ideal outcome.
Lastly, having a solid process architecture is a key success factor for facilitating AI-based organisational change. This architecture includes a design phase with preparation, the actual approach and facilitation of the process, and a follow-up protocol, which is crucial for the realisation of the ideas and dreams that have come out of the process. The AI process never really stops with a multi-stakeholder event like an AI summit. In some cases, the facilitation of the change process continues to run for months, or even longer. In others, the change engine is so fuelled right after the summit that self-managed change happens quickly.
Intro by Keith Storace Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
In the August 2021 of AI Practitioner we have three enlightening articles for Voices from the Field, each one providing a unique window into Appreciative Inquiry. Faith Addicott presents the Constructionist principle as part of her ongoing series titled ‘Our Principles in Action: Appreciative Inquiry for Justice & Belonging’. We are then introduced to Vera A. Hofmann and her work, which considers the shifting narrative across business and society as it continues to move us toward a new paradigm. The third article, by Jan Driesen, examines four key factors that impact the successful application of AI throughout the organisational change process. It is my pleasure to present all three authors to our AI Practitioner readership.
Vera Hofmann, founder of Dare to Imagine (2020) and driven by the question “Why do we humans do what we do?” She helps individuals and organizations as facilitator and business coach to become aware of the paradigm shifts we go through. Her online program, ‘Shifting Paradigms with Appreciative Inquiry’, starts in October 2021.
Recently a friend and colleague posted an interview where we talked about fear, patriarchy, money and how they might singly or in a connected way shape how we perceive reality and react to it. Listening to our conversation once more reminded me that we are indeed living in interesting times. Times that give us the chance to not only witness but actually shape and negotiate a lot of fundamentals anew.
What do I mean by that? I believe that we stand at the cusp of a new paradigm. A time where the way we do business, how we live and work together in communities and our society, as well as, how we a) see and recognize and b) take the needs and boundaries of our home planet into account is changing rapidly and fundamentally. That conclusion in itself is nothing new. You probably have heard the term paradigm shift before. Maybe you are even tired of buzz words like these. I challenge and invite you, however, to bear with me and these words for a little longer. Usually when words like that re-appear over and over and create ripple-effects it is worth looking a little closer: what do we actually mean when using the term paradigm shift? What does the concept and its parts have to do with you and me? How are the developments that are described with that term connected with the things that you and I do, like Appreciative Inquiry (AI), personal development, facilitation of group processes and change in organizations?
When we look up paradigm shift, we find different definitions. A Wikipedia search gives us an interesting one from Thomas Kuhn. In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions he writes: “Paradigm shifts arise when the dominant paradigm under which normal science operates is rendered incompatible with new phenomena, facilitating the adoption of a new theory or paradigm.” And even though he explicitly puts this definition in the context of science, it highlights the parallels to what we see happening around us in different spheres. Whether we look at our global money system with the rise of alternative currencies and blockchain technology, the dissolving of traditional hierarchies and the connected challenges around how we live and work together (just dropping in the keywords of diversity, equity and inclusion, also discussed by Faith Addicott in her series on AI and Justice in this column) both in organizations and larger societies, we’ll find plenty of major shifts happening in parallel.
Having conducted research for about a decade, I would summarize the following major developments under the umbrella term “paradigm shift”:
Moving from centralized to decentralized power
Appreciating diversity in and around us
Shifting from a fear- to a purpose-, trust- or even love-based economy
Shifts in value creation and its recognition in times of artificial intelligence
Planetary thinking in decisions that we make as consumers, policy makers and in business
That’s a mouth full. There are many articles and books written about each of the bullet points above, so I won’t go into detail. Furthermore, this is not a journal on future research. So, you might wonder what it has to do with you, me and AI. A lot, I would say. I argue that any of these developments can be best accompanied and supported by creating awareness and increasing the capacity for change in the respective system(s). And we as AI practitioners have an enormously powerful tool at hand that will help our fellow human beings both understand what’s going on to co-create the developments and, most importantly, accept responsibility and accountability for the role that each of us plays in these developments.
Again, I couldn’t possibly capture all of these developments and how we can relate AI to them in detail within this article. What I can do, however, is pick one central realization that is, in my opinion, at the heart of the paradigm shift. If we manage to get our head and heart around it, we might have an entry point for all other developments. What central development am I referring to? The one about shifting from a fear- to a love-based economy.
What I mean is not that I see (or want) us all to be hugging and kissing each other in the near or far future. I also think that there will still be competition and other troubles between us humans and our businesses. What I mean by a love- (or trust-) based economy is that we both realize for ourselves and then for others that work and value-creation don’t have to be suffering per se and that there’s enough for all of us. That we don’t have to secure our existence, but that our existence is (for many) already secured.
What I came to understand is that many of us consciously or subconsciously assume that money (or any other compensation) is only earned if we suffer in the process of value creation (Taranczewski). Many assume that if we don’t threaten ourselves or others, we become lazy. So we operate from fear. But we know from research that creative thinking and the creation process that follows functions better when we are in ‘flow’: we use our talents in a task in a way that brings joy. We know as well that people both function best in organizations and are more open to change in psychologically safe environments.
So how do you help your clients to create safe spaces where they can gently transition from a fear-based culture to a culture and environment of trust and care for each other, where they can do what they love to do? How do we create safe environments that invite us to overcome our fears and step into a value-creation process based on love? We make sure, both for ourselves when we are creating products and services, and for our clients that we are operating from a “conscious space”. What do I mean? In my view, it is a space where we understand where our fears come from, accept them without judgement or projection, and transform them into self-awareness, understanding and loving acceptance.
Easier said than done, I know. But there are ways to do that. I’m quite sure that many of you have plenty in your (coaching) repertoire. However, for those who still would like to learn one more, let me share with you one of my favourites that takes you, in its speediest version, only fifteen minutes.
When the dreadful emotion catches you, take a break and acknowledge the fact that you are in fear: anger, frustration, procrastination, you name it. This already takes courage. So, congratulations if you made that first step!
Take a piece of paper and a pen. You have to pin that feeling down on paper with handwriting, otherwise your mind will find a thousand ways to let you tiptoe around it, just for you to avoid feeling what you need to feel. Why does your mind do that? Our minds are usually afraid of feelings – at least unpleasant ones – and want to protect us from being overwhelmed. Thank your mind and send it on a mini-vacation.
Set the timer for ten minutes. Write everything down going on inside you, without further ruminations. Be especially curious around the feelings that you find. Give these feelings a name. Then ask yourself:
Where is that feeling localized in my body? (The neck? The legs?)
How big is it? (A tiny cramp in the chest or filling the whole torso?)
Does it move?
What temperature or color does it have?
Is there a picture or metaphor that would describe it well?
You want to ask your body questions that allow it to go beyond the first reaction of fight, flight, freeze or fawn.
And now the breakthrough question: where in your life did you first encounter that feeling? Our body has an incredible memory and stores relevant information, so it recognizes the feeling again. When we ask our body gently to guide us back to the situation when we first encountered the feeling, it will in most cases do that for us, if it feels safe enough.
This is usually the moment when I start to cry. After that contact-making with the wisdom of my body, building up the understanding and trust, my body feels safe enough to go back to and work through traumas that have kept me in the same thought-feeling-loop for years. And for me that process very often goes hand in hand with tears. The more I do these kinds of exercises, the more I get in touch with traumas that I did not even experience myself. I have the notion that it’s the generations, and – in my case often the women – before me who entrust me with the healing of their traumas. My body allows me to get in touch with the bruised, terrified, tortured ancestors to sooth their pain, to comfort them, so they can share their hidden wisdom with me.
The last step is sitting with the emotion and gently holding yourself in that situation. Writing everything down helps me a lot. Or reaching out to a trusted person who can help me create comfort again and make sense of what I just experienced. It’s here where the healing takes place. It’s here where our level of awareness increases drastically, where the understanding both for ourselves and the way others (re)act in similar situations grows. It’s here where compassion and collective consciousness rises. It’s here where we make the shift from a fear to a care-, trust-, purpose-, love-driven culture.
Sound a bit touchy-feely or woo-woo? Yes.
Sounds a bit scary? Yes, to the mind it does.
Does it work? In my experience it does. But find out for yourself.
I am more and more convinced that in order to make that transition from a fear- to a love-based way of being and working, we have to individually and collectively heal the traumas that we have been carrying around for generations. We need to reconnect with and then work from outside of that space where the soft and sensitive parts of our psyche can operate best – a place of safety, enough-ness and trust. There is where we, as facilitators, play a key role. We are invited to embrace and work through our own mess first. And then to hold those around us in a loving and fear-free way so they can dissolve their traumas for themselves.
In that process of being okay with and learning from the mess, of allowing for and re-integrating the polarities in us, the rough and the beautiful emotions, the purity and the dirt, in short: allowing our whole being to be there – as the Wholeness principle of AI suggests – we can stop projecting our own pain and fears on others. That’s where the paradigm shifts. From acting and re-acting out of fear and trauma towards decision and actions we take from a place of trust, care, purpose and love.
I wish you and me all the courage and trust we need to make the transition from fear to trust, purpose and love happen.
Intro by Keith Storace Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
In the August 2021 of AI Practitioner we have three enlightening articles for Voices from the Field, each one providing a unique window into Appreciative Inquiry. Faith Addicott presents the Constructionist principle as part of her ongoing series titled ‘Our Principles in Action: Appreciative Inquiry for Justice & Belonging’. We are then introduced to Vera A. Hofmann and her work, which considers the shifting narrative across business and society as it continues to move us toward a new paradigm. The third article, by Jan Driesen, examines four key factors that impact the successful application of AI throughout the organisational change process. It is my pleasure to present all three authors to our AI Practitioner readership.
Our Principles in Action: Appreciative Inquiry for Justice and Belonging
Faith Addicott, MPA, MPOD is working to improve the intersection of work and life through innovative and humancentered process design. Her consulting work has centered on nonprofits and local government using Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths-based processes. She is a champion for inclusive workplace design.
The Constructionist Principle
Words make worlds. At the core of being human is our creative capacity to name the world around us, to describe it and know it through language. Because the ways that we do this are both individual and collective, both for ourselves and in agreement with our society, the impacts of these definitions give shape to our past and our future.
In this context, as we strive for a future that is more just and where all people can thrive and belong, we step into the Constructionist principle to acknowledge that our society’s choices of perspective have historically negated the contributions of Black and brown people. The voices of a significant segment of people in our cultures have not been included in the creation of a world view that holds meaning for them. If our reality holds no place for people to share in the creation of the world, there is no way to have that reality include meaningful justice.
“The good news is that since we construct our reality, we have a choice to construct it the way we want it. We are active players in our life stories.” Developing our understanding of the Constructionist principle and using it to guide how we create processes and policies in our organizations is a powerful lever for moving us towards equitable futures. It encourages us to co-create, to engage in intentionally inclusive practices, especially when we are choosing what we want reality to be. Opening ourselves to another person’s reality and lived experience, folding that reality into the creation of possibilities, is fundamental to building anti-racist practices into action.
There is a tension for many in embracing the Constructionist principle. This power to create can be scary … we long for certainty, for solid truths that are immutableand beyond us. But, even in physics, we are discovering that reality is infinitely changeable, shaped by our perceptions and expectations. As Peter Block says, “… when we take uncertainty out, it is no longer the future. It is the present projected forward. Nothing new can come from the desire for a predictable tomorrow.”
Through the way we define our shared experiences, positive or negative, we explicitly create the container for all understanding of the world.
Though it may feel risky to go to groups and challenge them to re-create their organizations with a wider aperture, this is what we are called to do. As practitioners, we are in a position to use Appreciative Inquiry to deepen and shift not just what we talk about, but also what we understand about the nature of our ongoing conversation with reality. And with each other. It is the richness of inclusive creation and truly shared ownership of the collective narrative that allows us to build towards justice.
Intro by Keith Storace Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
I am pleased to introduce Faith Addicott as our Voice from the Field in this issue of the AI Practitioner. Faith will be presenting each of the 10 AI principles in the context of justice and belonging as a key feature of Voices from the Field. Along with Faith’s introduction to the series, the Anticipatory principle will feature in this Issue. Future issues will include the remaining principles presented by Faith, along with our regular articles from global contributors.
Our Principles in Action: Appreciative Inquiry for Justice and Belonging
Faith Addicott, MPA, MPOD is working to improve the intersection of work and life through innovative and human-centered process design. Her consulting work has centered on nonprofits and local government using Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths-based processes. She is a champion for inclusive workplace design.
We live in extraordinary times. For the last year, our lives have been disrupted in ways that have challenged us, but that have also given us space to grow through the new cracks, towards the light. Over and over, I have heard many in our community speak to the ways in which they feel called, through their practice of Appreciative Inquiry, to lean into these new possibilities. Particularly, our community is being called to apply the principles of our practice to the liberation of organizational systems from racial oppression, and to be an active part of ameliorating trauma for Black and brown bodies.
Luckily for us, AI is already particularly well suited for this work. Our tool is facile, able to fit into any space we can imagine, because it calls on us to imagine something better. AI calls on us to dream of a future in which Justice is a given, and it asks us to lead with our words and our intention and our commitment to pull that future ever closer today.
In this series, I will look at 10 core principles of Appreciative Inquiry and explore how they bring life to our pursuit of justice and belonging within our organizations. While I recognize that the principles normally flow in a certain order, for this work there is a slightly new logic. Form follows function….so first up – The Anticipatory principle.
The power of the Anticipatory principle
The Anticipatory principle says to us that images inspire action. More deeply, it speaks to the interconnected nature of the present and the future. This principle tells us that “human systems move in the direction of their images of the future. The more positive and hopeful the image of the future, the more positive the present-day action.”What is implied, and what leads us to the ways that this principle functions in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) space, is that the more positive the present-day action, the more positive hope we have for the future. (This ties back in a cyclical loop with the Constructionist principle, which we will discuss in our next issue!)
For a handful of decades, our organizations and communities have been aware of the deep racial inequity that exists, particularly in America, but also around the world. We have, collectively, been trying to move away from that. But our efforts have been only minimally successful. The truth is that it isn’t enough to only know what we don’t want – we have to be able to envision and create a future that we DO want.
The power of the Anticipatory principle and its fundamental centering in the Dream work of AI is in this – we are allowed to imagine, encouraged to dream, to peer behind the veils of what is next and begin to create an expectation of a future that is just, where all people are safe, where racism no longer exists. By doing this, particularly with whole systems in the room, we build something to move towards, not just away from.
Towards is a pull, a beacon, a guiding line of vision into something new, something good. As Andy Smith at Coaching Leaders (UK) so rightly points out, “If we know where we want to get to, we can correct our aim if circumstances knock us off course.”
Away from is not a direction and does not give us that “inner rudder”. If our motivation for acting is to escape unfavorable situations, we may end up further from where we would really like to be.
Where do we want to get to?
AI is the best tool we know of to help groups of people, in organizations and in communities, figure out where we want to get to. Is it still important to dismantle the systems of oppression and exclusion that exist today? Of course! AND we can do that while helping people to flex the muscle of their creative capacity for change, for imagining.
Dismantling (which is different from smashing) these systems, with a clearly envisioned future state allows us to become reclamation specialists, choosing the pieces of our deconstructed paradigms that we want to keep, that serve us well, while discarding those that cause harm. We reduce (the structures that have held us), we reuse (those ideas whose power has not yet been well-harnessed), and we recycle (the bits and pieces that belong truly to us, and through which we create belonging). AI and our clear anticipation of the future allow us to be sustainable, and not just burn the house down.
We are all futurists
This work is vitally important, especially now. We must all be futurists when the present is already loosening the joints and joists of our reality for us. Racism is not some thing that exists only in the past – “It is forward-looking, laying claim to our capacity to imagine the future. This is why imagining an anti-racist future is so challenging. It does not just entail imagining the eradication of past forms of racism… [it] requires challenging the progress of racism as it proliferates and transforms our very capacity to imagine the future.”
The attitudes of casual racial discrimination – of othering – have inertia and are rolling into the future every minute that they are not confronted with a vision of the future that is free of them. AI and our inherent anticipation/creation of a new future is the active intervention, the redirection, that is needed.
In parallel with rich questioning of our current systems, with making spaces for uncomfortable and brave conversations, and with challenging the precepts of racism at every opportunity, our community has a mighty set of tools in AI to combat racism. We do this, in part, by helping people to understand their own creative agency, their capacity to name an anti-racist reality as their own and to collectively move towards it.
Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
With an ever-increasing world-wide concern and focus on climate change, it was heartening and promising to read this issue’s contribution to Voices from the Field. Using the Appreciative Inquiry process, Gertraud Wegst and Dr. Reto Diezi, along with the expertise of an organised group of European Appreciative Inquiry (EAI) practitioners, supported the launch of a program across Germany that focussed on climate change in everyday life. It is my pleasure to introduce you to such outstanding and inspirational work, as presented by Gertraud and Reto, this issue’s Voices from the Field.
Based in Germany, Gertraud Wegst is an AI practitioner and trainer, and a master coach with the mission of being a source of appreciation. An author and co-creator of the ‘Appreciators’ Traffic Light Model, Gertraud has been freelancing as a consultant and trainer since 1982, and from 2005 as a management coach. She is co-founder of Die Wertschaetzer (The Appreciators) with an AI process: eight coaches and AI practitioners.
Dr Reto Diezi, also based in Germany, is a coach, Appreciative Inquiry practitioner, business consultant, and chairman of the board of an investment foundation for pension funds. Reto also served as CEO of the asset management company of a European insurance group and as managing director of various mutual funds and asset management companies in Europe. A former Swiss track & field champion and record holder, Reto joined The Appreciators in 2013.
Frankfurt, Germany, November 2019: The Appreciators engaged with the nationally successful, internationally recognized German project Stromspar-Check (SSC). The project, sponsored by the German government, is a partnership between two organizations and consults with more than 370,000 low-income households about energy-saving practices to substantially reduce their energy costs. The Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process supported two national leaders and 20 regional coordinators in the launch of their new program focus on “Climate Protection in Everyday Life” and in defining its strategic position.
Stromspar-Check: The project organisation and its challenge
You can ask Marlene Potthoff and Eva Marx, the two national project leaders, how to keep a marriage alive between two totally different organisations: the German Caritas Association (DVC), Germany’s largest social welfare organization, and the German Federal Association of Energy and Climate Protection Agencies (eaD). Since 2011, they have jointly led Stromspar-Check (SSC).
The consultants for the households are long term unemployed people, trained by the SSC for this job. Through their training and working experience, they have a chance to successfully return to the labour market.
Marlene from Caritas, located in Frankfurt, and Eva from eaD, located in Berlin, run the project representing their organisations together with 23 regional coordinators. They work with their SSC teams in more than 150 different German cities. The eaD trains the consultants, about 900 nationwide, and Caritas recruits, leads and supports them onsite. Keeping a project going with that many cooks involved, from the federal government to local authorities to local communities, is only possible with an enormous commitment to underprivileged people and the environment. Marlene and Eva, together with the coordinators and the whole SSC project team, are a model of success, and are nationally and internationally recognized for what they do.
Their bi-annual two-day meeting in November 2019 was in Frankfurt. This was the only time for the leaders and coordinators to see each other in person. The purpose was to prepare for the launch of a new project focus: “Climate Protection in Everyday Life”. The launch was planned for some months later, under circumstances which were not perfect.
Gertraud Wegst, leadlink of The Appreciators, a small network of coaches and consultants, offered to further this project through an AI process, gladly accepted by Marlene and Eva. Lacking any deeper knowledge of AI, they trusted Gertraud and her commitment to support the project.
The meeting date was set, planned to be at the same time as a gathering of the European AI community where Mille Themsen Duvander was going to facilitate a workshop titled “Organic Growth: Balancing lifegiving learning processes in the profession of Appreciative Inquiry Practitioners”. There were only a couple of weeks for Gertraud and Reto Diezi, the AI facilitators, to prepare the workshop, and make sure that the project leaders learned enough about the AI process to launch it, while also involving the coordinators in the process.
Discovery: Questioning the ‘What’ and ‘How’? Go back to the ‘Why’!
In regular 90-minute conference calls with the project leaders, the AI facilitators came to understand the Stromspar-Check project and its complexity, and introduced the project leaders to the philosophy and methodology of Appreciative Inquiry. The purpose and outcomes of the whole process were defined, and a prep team was created. A decision was made to undertake a full AI Summit, starting with pair interviews on strengths, success stories and wishes. Questions included the concept of the climate protection project, which at this stage was a helpful step to further the project. The key was good selection of the pairs for the interviews across the two organisations – the project leaders did an excellent job in selecting them.
Appreciative Inquiry: What?
Many of the coordinators have consultant backgrounds, and wanted to know more about AI, which was completely new to them. Balancing the knowledge transfer and the experience level of individuals was a dance. What worked was explaining what we did as facilitators as we did it, steering the process while keeping them eager to learn and experience more of the 5D cycle.
Harvesting powerful stories and feedback for the project group
The thoughtfully mixed pairs led to inspiring interview experiences for the participants. Surprising stories emerged which were very helpful to overcome emotional hurdles. Three groups of four pairs each shared their findings in 90-minute calls. They were asked to bring the best stories to Frankfurt to share them with the whole team. The results were awesome: exciting stories, positive energy and regained inspiration. A strong “Why” was impressively present, and the group working on the climate protection concept received valuable feedback, enabling them to finalize their plan.
The Summit in Frankfurt
There were high dynamics both before and during the gathering in Frankfurt. As the Stromspar-Check Summit was integrated into a European AI practitioner meeting, detailed planning was of critical importance. A storybook of 27 pages for the Summit was created to enable smooth facilitation.
The SSC people met among themselves, facilitated by Eva and Marlene, on the morning of November 20th. They received the latest updates on the project as a whole and shared their hopes and concerns regarding the new project launch. They also defined the positive core of the project organisation as a whole.
In the afternoon, the AI facilitators and their European colleagues took the baton. The groups shared the powerful stories from the pair interviews as an introduction. For the Dreaming phase, they worked with shared paintings, and for Designing, a World Café approach was used. It was effective to have all the participants on board, and they created strong provocative propositions for the core themes. The outcome: 17 clear topics to work on the next day. The climate at days’ end: small room, high energy, inspiration, appreciation and people happy but exhausted.
On the wings of the inspiration from Dream & Design, Marlene and Eva facilitated day two, Destiny, in a way that allowed participants to work on the 17 topics like in a beehive. Goals, clear responsibilities and next steps towards the launch were created in intensive six-hour exchanges. The climate at the end of day two: happy, productive, and a great atmosphere, more of this to come.
Takeaways
For the participants, focusing on “Why” was particularly important and created space to get in touch with the positive core of the project, along with a deep coherence within the group. It was powerful to witness their inspiration, collaboration, intuitive creativity and a grounded, rational approach.
This clarity of purpose created the conditions for the topics to be clearly defined in record time and progress to be made through identifying the tangible next steps and action items. The previous phases allowed the group to move fast, have a very clear focus, and experience Appreciative Inquiry in practice.
Listening to the needs of the moment, the process was designed to include feedback for the new concept in the interview questions. This was extremely helpful for the concept group, as they could take all the participants’ ideas and suggestions into consideration, and use that robust engagement in their working plan.
The Stromspar-Check (SSC) is a complex multi-stakeholder project with a mandate to reach all low-income households in Germany (>80 million citizens). Further work was needed to keep “Destiny” going, with questions such as how to support success in the operation phase, and how to integrate the living principles of AI, particularly in critical moments.
The keys: trust and learning. There was a palpable trust in the relationships and the process, beginning with Marlene, Eva, Gertraud and Reto, then with the prep team, and finally all participants. Gaining trust in all our actions was the underlying guide. Without this trust and the willingness to learn, it would not have been possible to train Marlene and Eva, and share the facilitation. They did an outstanding job. It’s important to note that all the preparation was conducted over the phone, with several of the participants not knowing each other in person until the Frankfurt Summit. It worked!
One year later
Eva Marx and I went through the to-do list twice afterwards and were surprised that so many of the tasks were done as if by themselves. With some, the focus has changed, a few have lost their urgency, but all other tasks are integrated into everyday business. Most of all, I was pleased with a meeting between the database work group and all other work groups, to which there were interfaces, in February 2020. To this day everyone is talking about how successful the meeting was, to the extent that it could take place without us as project managers –although it was clear that there would be some difficult interfaces. The spirit of the AI meetings can still be felt in the stories. Marlene Potthoff, Projektleiterin Stromspar-Check (DCV)
The power of the European AI practitioners
This AI process was planned as part of a European gathering of AI practitioners, as an idea deriving from a workshop with Joep C. de Jong and Miriam Subirana at the WAIC 2019 in Nice, France. The presence of our experienced AI practitioner colleagues, Joep de Jong, Vera Hofmann, Hilda Lanas, Cora Reijerse, Mille Themsen Duvander, Marianne Rögner, Claudia Gross, Yvonne Bonner, was a gift.
Their quick integration and spontaneity were a living example of what it means to be trained in AI. The AI process leaders sensed an unexpected and nonjudgmental support right from the beginning. It was outstanding! Why outstanding? These colleagues did not know the plans in detail, but were able to be present and be supportive, to fit right in, nonetheless. It could not have moved more smoothly. One could feel a way of being with these people which was just awesome, constructive for the process and a great contribution to the event.
In a last feedback round, Marlene and Eva shared the outcomes of their Destiny meeting in the parallel room. The stories were pure honey, and worth the many early morning hours spent to prepare.
It became obvious: AI is not just a method; it is a way of being.
Thank you!
A big thank you to Eva and Marlene, the two project leaders, the prep team and all the coordinators for their contribution and, last but not least, to our European AI practitioner colleagues for their great support. Not to forget Tammy Lea Meyer, who translated our German English into English.
Literature
The Appreciative Inquiry Handbook (Berrett-Koehler, 2nd ed. 2008), written by Cooperrider, Whitney and Stavros was in our hands often while working on this process. The same can be said about Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom’s The Power of Appreciative Inquiry – A Practical Guide to Positive Change (Berrett-Koehler, 2nd ed. 2010), which supported us very much in challenging and enriching our approach.
Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
I have yet to meet Appreciative Inquiry (AI) practitioners who don’t incorporate key elements of AI into their personal as well as professional lives . It was a pleasure meeting Jan Somers in 2019 at the World Appreciative Inquiry Conference (WAIC) in Nice, France . He is another wonderful example of living AI. Jan not only uses Appreciative Inquiry (AI) principles and techniques in his work as a personal and leadership coach, but the strengths-oriented nature of AI is also present in his expression as a poet and photographer. He is our Voice from the Field in this issue of AI Practitioner, with a focus on shedding light and finding wonder.
Appreciative Narrative: Shedding Light and Finding Wonder
Jan Somers, based in Belgium, has been self-employed since 1991 as an Appreciative Learning facilitator, personal and leadership coach, photographer and poet. In all these disciplines he practices the principles and philosophy of AI in combination with other strengths-based and forward-thinking approaches.
We are all born students; we all die studying. So we might as well do this in an appreciative inquiring way. Jan
A
s a new-born child, each one of us comes into a world which can be pretty scary. How have we managed to survive such a scary start and the growing-up phase? Among other factors are our ability to observe and to wonder, our eagerness to study the reality presented to us and its inherent potential, fuelled by our curiosity and longing. Resilience and adaptability require all of that to be in place.
Amin Toufani from Adaptability.org describes it this way: “You have IQ, (intelligence quotient), EQ (emotional quotient ) but also AQ (adapatability quotient)”.
Leon Megginson explains: “According to Darwin’s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself”.
Individuals, teams, organisations, communities, families and societies will always benefit from resilience and adaptability. Therefore the capacity – and necessary practice – to learn becomes vital. We can facilitate individuals and groups to develop their learning capacity not just from the strongly embedded notion “we learn from our mistakes”. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) offers us principles, techniques and, above all, a mindset that we can engage during facilitation and coaching. AI practitioners help expand learning capacities by inviting individuals and organisations to learn from what is working, learn from proven success, and learn from the application of strengths. AI requires practitioners to fully study and experience the richness and application potentials of what it offers. The core and emergent principles of AI can be used as a source of inspiration for the facilitation of learning at individual or group levels.
Practitioners can facilitate learning by: helping increase awareness of the words people use; inviting them to inquire into their learning process successes; and asking people to choose where to shed the illumination of awareness. They can also fuel curiosity and longing by asking people to dream their dream and create practices to realise that dream; by guiding them in constructing positive, explorative and generative questions; and helping them identify “converstions worth having”, as inspiringly described in Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement.
When working with organisations, I am a strong advocate of the application of AI principles to daily operational situations as well strategic processes. Here are a few considerations I have come across in my years of practice:
How does a teamleader in an “excellence driven” organisation organise his daily teamboard talk with the members of his team? Will he do it in a “tell & sell” way, or will he try to apply the core and emergent principles of AI in a more collaborative approach?
How will the teamleader handle the discovery of a fault or incident? Will he dig into the situation, taking a root-cause analysis approach, which is often blame-oriented, or will he flip the conversation and look jointly with his team into a more-desired outcome and the available resources and levers to reach that goal?
How much more effective, during a conflict situation for example, is the solution-focussed and strengths-based approach of Appreciative Inquiry? Especially as it focuses on:
what the stakeholders impacted by the situation appreciate about each other;
what has worked in the past;
what aspects they already agree; on
what the desired level of cooperation is;
and what practices will be needed to reach that state.
When an organisation sees talented staff quit their job, does the organisation focus on reparing the “hole in the dike” or will they start an appreciative inquiring quest of finding ways to become a magnet for the right talent to join and stay?
The above are only a handful of examples I have encountered when working with individuals and teams.
When you help an individual or an organisation – big or small – to apply AI, you in fact help them to re-author their story, sometimes “dragging” that story into an alternative generative narrative. By shedding light on their own moments of pride, life-giving energy, glory, success and motivation, you allow their positive generative history-line to surface: a much needed asset to develop managers from being frustrated at times into proud and eager managers looking for the betterment of the whole.
For some time before I became submerged in the fascinating powers and principles of AI, my mission to inspire people was built on the idea and skills of the “telling teacher”. But since AI came into my life, my unchanging mission has become to inspire people and organisations and is now built on facilitating self-learning processes, letting those involved start or continue building their future at an individual or group level.
It may have become clear to the reader that applying Appreciative Inquiry goes far beyond the organisation of AI summits.
AI is one big invitation: an invitation to a different experience that encourages us to meet differently, talk differently, see differently, inquire and explore differently, appreciate differently, focus differently, imagine and dream differently, reflect differently, remember and storytell differently, learn differently, lead and manage change differently. No doubt you will understand why the community of practitioners of AI is such a fast-growing one.
And since we are now facing difficult but clarifying times, allow me to conclude with one of my poems since, yes, AI has also been an invitation for me to observe, to picture and to write differently:
When someone is in a dark room
and somebody opens a door
from a room full of light,
the dark room will lighten up
not the other way around.
So let us all open a door
of a dark room, shedding light
on the beauty and strengths
of the person inside ….
I wish you the light of love!
Jan Somers| Belgium
References
Megginson, L.C. (1963) Lessons from Europe for American Business, Southwestern Social Science Quarterly 44(1), 3–13.
Torres, J. M., Cherri, C. and Cooperrider, D. L. (2018) Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
At a time in human history where good leadership at a global level is crucial for each one of us, I am pleased to present our Voice from the Field for this issue of AI Practitioner. Gudrún Snorradóttir from Reykjavik, Iceland emphasises the importance of community, especially in our world today where COVID-19 has challenged our daily living. With an appreciative lens, Gudrún provides us with a glimpse of the human spirit and how connected we all are.
The gift of the human spirit: Resilient greetings from your friends in Iceland
Gudrún Snorradóttir is an Icelandic Appreciative Inquiry practitioner and a professional certified coach (executive) based in Reykjavik, Iceland. In recent years, she has been dedicated to developing and strengthening the concept around more human leadership: combining coaching, Applied Positive Psychology and Appreciate Inquiry while working with leaders and organizations in building more humane workplaces. She is the founder and CEO of Human Leader, a company that operates from Iceland with international connections. Gudrún’s area of specialization is training for future leadership skills.
Today, as human beings, we have a joint project to manage and solve. Things are moving fast, borders are continuing to close, and the COVID-19 virus is a real threat for humankind. We, AI practitioners, have possibly never been as important: to ask the right questions, to create shared solutions and to vision a new world where human ethics are given more space. We know little, but it is sure that there is a need for a solution-based on mindset, comfort and more humanity amongst those in need and those who fear how things are escalating.
Icelanders are known for being resilient in these kinds of challenges. It seems that crises reveal the true natures of Icelanders; some even say that we are at our best when disasters hit our country, well known in global studies of the happiness measure as one of the happiest countries in the world, even when we hit the economic crisis in 2007. What is the magic behind it? It’s built on one word: community. People who care for each other, support each other and therefore have the resilience to endure hard times. Just to name some examples taking place in my country right now:
We are trusting and supporting those who are in charge and following advice from our health system. By that, we mean being responsible towards those who are in particular danger.
Healthy individuals are posting on Facebook, offering to shop for the elderly and sick and take care of their essential needs during the isolation period.
People are offering their time, money and support to reach out to those who don’t have money to buy groceries.
Restaurants are offering to deliver food to the door so that no one has to go hungry.
Television stations are combining their efforts to keep everyone well informed.
The Icelandic genetic company, deCODE, is offering all in need a COVID test, to follow how quickly the virus is spreading, and from that information decide how we can prevent the virus spreading further.
Banks, travel agencies, grocery stores and others are finding ways to take special care of those in the most danger of getting infected and aligning their services to ensure our society carries on.
Organizations are offering their employees the option to work from home, to be able to take of their families and protect the elderly and sick.
Our nurses and doctors are working day and night in a challenging environment, wanting to support and comfort those in most need.
Our whole society is finding ways to connect online. Ministers offer masses online, theatres offer free shows for the public, musicians offer free concerts, there are offers of virtual coaching and psychological help, and families keep contact with their elderly members via social media.
The examples of a healthy community are countless, and they make me proud and hopeful. On social media, we see how we rise as human beings in many ways. People in Spain gather at a set time each day to celebrate and cheer on and appreciate their health staff. Neighbours in Italy share songs from their balconies and find harmony, despite their isolation. During this time of death and suffering, the human spirit is prevailing, and it is a beautiful and precious element that we all will hold, if nourished and treasured.
In the summer of 2009, positive psychology came rushing into my life. It came at precisely the right time, moments of doubt and some personal suffering. Since then, it has been a constant love affair of a grand gesture; I’ve been fascinated to bring out the true nature of people by focusing on what works and asking the right questions. I believe in the human species. Despite robots, algorithms and all the technical solutions, humans own my heart.
Connections
Through research, you can see that there is one thing that brings us the most happiness and well-being: secure connections with others. What is most satisfying for a human being is to support and help another human being. To connect, to be seen, to be heard, to belong. From childhood, it has been my sincere belief that we are born to do good and to be good. This passion and my experience of leadership led me to research and focus on the human touch in leadership. I’ve searched to understand the challenges ahead for future leaders, as well as what kind of leadership will be needed for humans to endure. In the 21st century, change is discontinuous, abrupt and distinctly nonlinear. That has never been as true as it is today.
As those who are currently centred in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution, the leaders of today and tomorrow are faced with various challenges. What kind of challenges are we facing in our organizations and what competencies and skills do we need for those kinds of challenges? Through research, it is clear that some of these challenges are the restructuring of the workforce, skill gaps, the gig economy, an increased number of millenials in the job market, growing numbers of mental health issues and a large number of disengaged employees to which has been added the newest challenge COVID-19. These facts raise the following questions on my mind:
How will these challenges eventually change the nature of work, and what kind of leadership competencies and skills will be needed?
How do leaders prepare themselves and their employees for a mostly unknown future?
What role can Appreciative Inquiry play in years to come in forming the leaders of tomorrow?
There are some critical skills that leaders need to focus on and capture to be able to lead in the 21st century, for example: the ability to create a trustworthy environment where psychological safety plays the leading role; resilience and adaptability; and emotional intelligence and active listening, among others.
There is an acute need for leaders who have been trained for what is next – leaders who have developed their state of readiness for the unexpected.
Keeping our focus clear
How can we increase our tolerance toward these high-pressure situations and gain more tools to deal with them? I want to share with you an exercise that is very popular among my clients, especially in times of change and crises. Today, one of our primary assignments is to keep our focus clear and put our energy into the things that we can definitely control. Let’s deal with COVID-19 by drawing two columns on a piece of paper. One column we label: Influence. The other column we label: Worries. Let’s start. Here is my list:
After doing this exercise, your assignment is to choose. To choose where you put your mental energy. Which column will you “nourish” with your attention? The choice is yours, and it’s a beautiful as well as a frightening thing to realize.
The time has arrived. What will be your gift of AI approach in these challenging times? I do wish you and everybody the courage and confidence to be our best selves because surely there’s never been a better time to put all that learning into practice.
With much love and respect from your fellow AI practitioner in Iceland,
Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
Faith Addicott, MPA, MPOD is working to improve the intersection of work and life through innovative and human-centered process design. Her consulting work has centered on nonprofits and local government using Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths-based processes. She is a champion for inclusive workplace design.
Staceye Randle, MPOD is a human resources professional passionate about creating workplaces focused on helping people grow and learn. She is also an advocate for ensuring equity and justice in every aspect of her private and professional life.
is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
Melisa Yildiz is a researcher in the Netherlands (Maastricht University) and in Belgium (Hasselt University) working in the domain of Service Innovation & Management, with an engineering background. She is an experienced soft skills trainer, having delivered hundreds of hours of training sessions in the areas of leadership, emotional intelligence, and organizational skills and personal development.
Based in Germany, Gertraud Wegst is an AI practitioner and trainer, and a master coach with the mission of being a source of appreciation. An author and co-creator of the ‘Appreciators’ Traffic Light Model, Gertraud has been freelancing as a consultant and trainer since 1982, and from 2005 as a management coach. She is co-founder of Die Wertschaetzer (The Appreciators) with an AI process: eight coaches and AI practitioners.
